U.S. to monitor cybersecurity risks as car connectivity grows 3:04 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013  Rising cybersecurity risks to drivers as their cars become increasingly powered by and connected to computers have prompted federal auto safety regulators to start a new office focusing on the threat.... Read More »
Cost to be big factor in 'talking' cars acceptance, LaHood says 3:51 pm U.S. ET | May 14, 2013  Cars that "talk" to each other to avoid crashes or traffic jams, like those being tested here, will save lives but the cost of the systems will determine consumers' acceptance of such technology, the transportation secretary said today.... Read More »
Report: Vehicles sold in Brazil lack safety features 1:10 pm U.S. ET | May 13, 2013  Automakers are having widespread success selling vehicles in Brazil, but thousands of Brazilians are dying each year in auto accidents that experts blame on a combination of unsafe vehicles and often dangerous driving conditions, according to an Associated Press report.... Read More »
GABE NELSON Why Wednesday hearing could be connected cars' moment of truth 4:12 pm U.S. ET | May 13, 2013  In the software industry, people talk about vaporware -- products that are heavily promoted but never seem to go on sale. Automakers are at the point that they must prove that connected cars, which talk to each other over Wi-Fi to stay out of fender-benders, are more than just vaporware.... Read More »
Toyota puts high beams on headlight regulation 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013  With a recent petition, Toyota has intensified the pressure on safety regulators to approve new headlights currently forbidden on U.S. roads. The headlights use cameras to detect other cars and automatically dim the portions of the high beam that would shine in other drivers' eyes.... Read More »
EDITORIAL NHTSA must see the light on safety updates 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration needs to review its process for allowing automakers to introduce advances in lighting technology.... Read More »
EDITORIAL Are F&I products next? 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 Dealers have long feared that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would find a way to wreak havoc in dealership F&I offices, even though it has no direct jurisdiction over dealerships except buy-here, pay-here stores.... Read More »
Corvettes from 2005-2007 being probed over headlight problems 10:21 am U.S. ET | May 10, 2013  Federal auto safety regulators have launched a preliminary investigation into the Chevrolet Corvette from model years 2005 to 2007, citing dozens of complaints that the car's headlights can turn themselves off without warning.... Read More »
U.S. regulators close inquiries into Ford, Chrysler vehicles 12:18 pm U.S. ET | May 8, 2013  Federal safety regulators closed two separate probes into vehicles made by Ford and Chrysler after the two automakers conducted safety recalls this year to fix glitches in some models.... Read More »
JIM HENRY Subprime scrutiny could open a real can of worms 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 8, 2013  Here's a disturbing thought: As much as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has upset auto lenders and dealers, it hasn't even gotten around to the vast category of subprime auto lending.... Read More »
Study: 90% of parents admit to driving distracted 1:49 pm U.S. ET | May 7, 2013 Nearly nine of 10 parents admit to talking, texting or otherwise driving distracted while transporting their children in the past month, a new study by the University of Michigan reveals.... Read More »
BMW recalls 220,000 vehicles in Takata airbag issueMay 7, 2013 15:54 CET  BMW said it is recalling about 220,000 vehicles worldwide from model years 2002 and 2003 as part of a wider recall affecting airbags made by supplier Takata.... Read More »
BMW recalls 220,000 vehicles in Takata airbag issue 9:54 am U.S. ET | May 7, 2013  BMW said it is recalling about 220,000 vehicles worldwide from model years 2002 and 2003 as part of a wider recall affecting airbags made by supplier Takata.... Read More »
U.S. consumer watchdog expands probe into auto financing, report says 6:54 am U.S. ET | May 3, 2013  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau expanded its probe into the car loan industry by issuing subpoenas to auto lenders over the sale of financial products such as extended warranties, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the investigation.... Read More »
Honda recalls almost 46,000 Fits in U.S., Canada 11:04 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013  Honda is recalling almost 46,000 Fit small cars in the United States and Canada to fix a problem with the electronic stability control system software.... Read More »
JAMIE LaREAU Proposals for automakers to help limit distracted driving seem fair 10:39 am U.S. ET | April 26, 2013  Here's a big thank you to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency announced earlier this week some new guidelines to help address the hazards posed by complex in-car control systems and distracted driving.... Read More »
Ford hybrid owners sue over fuel-efficiency rating claims 10:44 pm U.S. ET | April 23, 2013  Ford was sued by Pennsylvania car owners who said its hybrid models don’t deliver on fuel-efficiency claims. The inaccurate representations allowed Ford to falsely claim that those models outperformed competing vehicles, according to the car owners who filed the suit in federal court in Philadelphia.... Read More »
DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC Green group spills oil; makes confusing point on CO2 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 23, 2013  Green lobby group T&E has released a YouTube video that it hopes will put pressure on lawmakers to prevent them from weakening Europe's passenger-car CO2 target of 95 grams per kilometer for 2020. The trouble is that the video's message is difficult to understand.... Read More »
California regulator scolds carmakers on EV petition 12:25 pm U.S. ET | April 16, 2013 Automakers are undermining the progress they're making in expanding the market for electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles by petitioning against California's mandates, a state regulator said today.... Read More »
GABE NELSON Whatever happened to the backup camera mandate? 1:12 pm U.S. ET | April 15, 2013  Just a few months ago, it seemed to be a done deal that light vehicles sold in the United States would need backup cameras within a few years. Auto safety regulators had proposed to mandate them in new vehicles by as soon as 2014, following through on a 2008 law aimed at reducing the number of children who are backed over and hurt or killed.... Read More »
JIM HENRY Lots of chatter on CFPB and dealer reserve 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 10, 2013  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s effort to cut dealer reserve is sparking a fair amount of online debate.... Read More »
Startup company envisions auctions for CAFE credits 11:36 am U.S. ET | April 9, 2013 Dale Kardos' startup company wants to help car companies buy and sell CAFE credits, which have the potential to tilt the competitive balance of the auto industry toward companies that sell more fuel-efficient cars. Experts say companies with large stockpiles of credits, such as Toyota and Honda, could use them to sell fuel-thirstier vehicles than would otherwise be allowed or simply save them for a rainy day. But they could also sell credits to rivals.... Read More »
GABE NELSON U.S. distracted driving fatalities top 3,300 -- what's the solution? 10:16 am U.S. ET | April 6, 2013  Imagine if you were to wake up tomorrow, flip on the morning news, and discover that during the previous night, 3,092 people veered over a cliff to their deaths.... Read More »
U.S. seeks to revise crash ratings to protect seniors 11:24 am U.S. ET | April 4, 2013  Auto-safety regulators plan to change the rating system for new cars sold in the United States to keep up with advances in safety technology and better protect older drivers and passengers.... Read More »
Distracted driving fatalities most often caused by 'lost in thought,' study says 10:42 am U.S. ET | April 4, 2013  Drivers involved in fatal car crashes in the United States were more often “lost in thought” than distracted by mobile phones, according to new data from police.... Read More »
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